In an op-ed published in the New York Times on Wednesday, actor George Clooney urged President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race.
Clooney wrote that while he believes in Biden and his morals, “the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time.”
“We are not going to win in November with this president,” he wrote. “ On top of that, we won’t win the House, and we’re going to lose the Senate. This isn’t only my opinion, this is the opinion of every senator and congress member and governor that I’ve spoken with in private.”
This comes a few weeks after the self-described “lifelong Democrat” co-hosted a fundraiser in L.A. in June for Biden’s re-election in June. In the op-ed, Clooney touched on the Biden he saw at that fundraiser.
“It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe “b-Fing deal” Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate,” he wrote.
The actor, director, and producer also called on Democratic leaders such as Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and Hakeem Jeffries to ask Biden to step aside. He also suggested that we hear from other Democrats such as Vice President Harris, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Nancy Pelosi told MSNBC that it's up to Biden to decide if he should stay in the race.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas was the first Democrat in Congress to publicly call on Biden to withdraw from the race.
Following Clooney’s op-ed, director Rob Reiner wrote on X that Clooney “clearly expressed what many of us have been saying.”
“We love and respect Joe Biden. We acknowledge all he has done for our country,” he wrote. “But Democracy is facing an existential threat. We need someone younger to fight back. Joe Biden must step aside.”
Actor Michael Douglas discussed Clooney’s op-ed during an appearance on “The View,” saying Clooney had “a valid point.”
“I’m deeply, deeply concerned. I mean, especially it’s difficult because the Democrats have a big bench, they’ve got a lot of heavy hitters, a lot of talent,” Douglas said.
Biden has repeatedly refused to step aside since the June debate.
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